Liquid-carbonating apparatus.



No. 687,726. Patented nec. 3, 19m.

J. H. CHAMP. LIQUID CARBONATING APPARATUS.

(Appncatin med Jem. 25, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No PAO-deli) Ummm a? ZZU raz ey.

127255555: Q (Wc No. 687,726. Patented Dec. 3, |90l.

J. H. CHAMP.

LIQUID CARBONATING APPARATUS.

(Application med Jan. 25, 1901.) (No llndeL) 2 Sheets-#Sheet 2.

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77.522.255 555 fzz/'fmh Q1 (y v l EUNITED STATES Parar JOSEPH H. CHAMP, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO;l

LIQUID-CARBONATING APPARATUS;

s'PncIFIciATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,726, dated December e', 190i. Application tiled January 25. 1901` Serial No. 44,687. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t irl/ty concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH H. CHAMP, a citi-- zen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Carbonating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle,

. so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

y The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail one mechanical form embodying the invention, such detail construction being but one of various mechanical forms inwhich the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings Figure I represents a view of my improved carbonating apparatus; Fig. II, a detail view of the clutchoperating mechanism; Fig. III, an axial section of the lower portion of the carbonator; Fig. IV, a detail View of a part of the connection between the iioat and the valve mechanism controlling the clutch-shifting fluid; Fig. V, an axial section of the diaphragmcasing for the clutcheshifting mechanism, and Fig. VI a section of the valve mechanism controlling the clutch-shifting iiuid.

In apparatus for carbonating liquids of the character illustrated in the drawings and in which water is forced into a closed vessel and subdivided to be exposed to the carbonio-acid gas forced or conveyed under pressure into the vessel it is necessary to force the water by means of a pump or similar apparatus, and it is desirable to provide means for automatically stopping and starting the pumping mechanism as the water accumulates within or is drawn olf from the vessel. In the carbonating apparatus disclosed in Patent No. `2Q,fl =50, granted to me on April 13, 1897, a float within the reservoir of the earbonatingchamber closed and opened a valve in the water-supply pipe as the water rose or fell in said reservoir. This will act satisfactorily where the pressure upon the supply-water is constant and the requirements for the supply are not too great and varied or, in brief, where the supply-water can be drawn more or less direct from the hydrant supply. Where, however, power-driven pumps have to be employed to provide the necessary volume and pressure, it is not sufficient alone to' shut off the water-inlet, but it is necessary to disconnect or stop the pumping device, so that the discharge-channel from the pump into the carbonator shall not be exposed to too great a strain. Attempts to accomplish this have been made, but as far as I know without practical success. I have constructed and practically employed the hereinafter-described apparatus.

The carbonator has a reservoir 1 at itsfbottom and a mixing-chamber 2 above said reservoir.v The water-supply pipe 3 enters the top of said mixing-chamber, and the gassupply pipe 4, leading fr'om a gas-tank 5, is connected in suitable manner to convey gas into the carbonator. A force-pu mp Gr of any suitable or preferred cosruction isonnectedto-'deliverinto the waterlsupply'pipe and hasafee'd-pipe 7 or suction-pipe connected to a suitable supply. The pump has a driveshaft 8, upon one end of which a loose iiywheel 9 and a pulley or driver 10 are arranged. The hub of said pulley is formed with one half of a clutch which may be engaged by the end of a clutch-sleeve 1l, fitted to rotate with y and longitudinally slide upon the shaft. A circumferential groove upon said sleeve is engaged by the short forked arm of a rectangular lever12, fulcrumed above the shaft and having a weight 18, which forces the long arm of the lever down and throws the clutchsleeveinto engagement. Adiaphragm-chamber 14 is supported beneath the lever and has a diaphragm 15 and a plunger 16, supported upon the diaphragm and bearing from beneath against the weighted shifting lever. A pipe 17 for the actuating liuid enters the chamber beneath the diaphragm. Inlet and exhaust of the actuating fluid are controlled by a valve mechanism preferably supported upon the reservoir of the carbonator and having a main-valve chamber 18 and a primaryvalve chamber 19. The main-valve chamber has a large bore 2O and a small bore 21. An inlet-channel 2:2 for the actuating fluid enters at the junction of the two bores. A wasteoutlet 23 is at the bottom of the small bore, and an annular port 24, surrounding the lower portion of the small bore, leads to the actuating-Huid pipe 17. A valve having a large ICO piston 25 and a small piston 26 slides in the valve-chamber, and the small piston plays above and below the annular distributingport 24. The primary-valve chamber has three annular ports 27, 28, and 29. The upper port 27 communicates with the Waste-outlet through a channel 30. The middle port 28, which is a distributing-port, communicates with the upper end of the valve-chamber through a channel 3l, and the lower port 29 communicates with the inlet-channel 22. The primary valve, which plays in the primary-valve chamber, has a pist-on 45, which is permanently above the upper port, a piston 46, which is alternately above or below the middle distributing-port, and a piston 47, which is permanently below the lower or inlet port. The construction and operation ot' this valve mechanism are substantially the same as the valve mechanism employed in the hydraulic air-compressor for which Patent No. 570,540 was granted to me November 3, 1896. When the primary valve is raised, pressure is exerted from above upon the main valve, and the latter is depressed, admitting the pressure Huid to the distributing-pipe and to the diaphragm. Vhen the primary valve is depressed, the pressure from above upon the main valve is released and the valve is raised, placing the distributingpipe and the diaphragm in connection with the waste-outlet, and the pressure-fluid is exhausted. A rock-shaft 32 is journaled to rock in a gland or tight packing 33 in the side of the reservoir of the carbonator, and said shaft has an arm 34 secured upon its outer end, which arm engages a stirrup 35 at the upper end of the stein of the primary valve. An arm 36 is secured upon the inner end of the rock-shaft, and a connecting-rod 37 is pivoted to the end of said arm and is pivoted at its lower end to the short arm of a lever 38, fulcrumed-within the reservoir and having a oat 39 at the end of its long arm. Said long arm is guided in a vertical guideloop or slottO, supported from the Wall of the reservoir. The arm upon the inner end of t-he rock-shaft projects diametrically opposite to the arm upon the outer end, so that the valve will be depressed when the inner arm is tilted up, and vice versa.. A fiuidpressure regulator 4l of any suitable ordesired construction is placed upon the pipe 42, which supplies the actuating fiuid for the Valve and shifting mechanism. 'Said pipe is in the present instance connected to the reservoir of the carbone@ at the lower end of the gageglass 43 ot' Vthe same; but actuating iiuid for this mechanism may be derived from any source of liquid under pressure, such as the watersupply p'ipe or hydrant or any other source. The carbonated liquid is drawn off from the reservoir through a cock 4l.

In practice we will assume that the reser- Voir is lilled with carbonated liquid to the highest level, that the driver or loose pulley is revolved from asuitable power source,that

carbonici-acid gas is admitted to the carbon'-' ator, and the pressure fluid forA the clutch-operating device is admitted. The fioat is then in such position that it holds the primary valve in its raised position, causing the pressure fluid to pass from the inlet-port in the primary-valve chamber to the distributingport in the same, and thence to the large bore of the main-valve chamber,where itwill counteract by its downward pressure the upward pressure of the Huid against the large mainvalve piston and allow the downward presY sure of the fluid upon the small main-valve piston to depress the latter so as to place the main-valve-chamber inlet in communication with the distributing-port in the small bore and admit the pressure fluid to the supplypipe and beneath the diaphragm, where it will raise the diaphragm and hold it so, thus keeping the weighted lever raised and the clutch disengaged. If now a sufficiency of carbonated liquid is drawn off from the reservoir to admit of the float falling with the liquid-level in the same the connection between the fioat and the primary valve will depress the latter. The pressure duid is now cut off from above `the large main-Valve pisf` ton and communication made there with the waste, which will cause the upward pressure of the pressure fiuid upon the large piston to raise the valve,and thus'bring the diaphragm in communication with the waste. The weight will depress the diaphragm and throw the clutch in engagement, starting the pump, which will again force liquid int-o the carbonator, where it Will be carbonated and will collect in the reservoir, raising the float and again actuating the valve to admit pressure fluid beneath the diaphragm, throwing the clutch outof engagement and stopping the pump. The supply of liquid to be carbonated will thus be automatically gaged in accordance with the amounts of' carbonated liquid drawn off.

The pressure-regulator upon the supply or inlet pipe for the valve mechanism will insure an even pressure of the pressure fluid to throw the clutch out of engagement and hold it so. The diaphragm-chamber and diaphragm may be substituted by a cylinder and plunger or similar device, which equivalents are understood undert-he terms diaphragmchamber and diaphragm Other valve mechanism may be substituted for the mechanism disclosed, although it is preferable to have a mechanism in which the pressure fluid is controlled by a main value actuated by pressure fiuid controlled by a primary valve operated by the water-level in the reservoir, so that the Valve controlling the Huid for the diaphragm will be fully thrown at the change of level in the reservoir and will not be held in any intermediate positions. A

spring or other similar constant-pressure device may be employed instead of the clutchshifting weight.

The guide-loop for the float-lever is pro IOO IIO

`vided to hold the lever and float in position during shipment or moving of the apparatus as well as to guide the lever in its movement, following the liquid-level.

By means of this appliance water may be continuouslyy carbonated, and the supply of water to be carbonated may be regulated in accordance with the quantity of carbonated water which is withdrawn. The power source from which power is derived to force the water into the carbonator against the gaspressure is continuously acting and may be thrown into or out of connection to drive the force-pump as the level of the carbonated water falls or rises. rIhe starting and stopping of theforce-pump is positive and is controlled and regulated by the carbonated-water leveh-so that such level cannot be deviated from and the carbonator beeither overiilled or run empty, as long as power is present and the several connections are maintained.

This apparatus is especially useful for use in bottling carbonated beverages Where the draft upon the carbonator is considerable, although of course it may be employed in connection with an ordinary fountain.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed for the mode herein explained. Change may therefore be made as regards the mechanism thus disclosed, provided the principles of construction set forth respectively in the following claims are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention-- 1. In carbonating apparatus, the combination of a carbonator, means for conveying gas into the same, a Vpump for forcing the liquid to be carbonated into the carbonator, a continuouslyrevolving driver, a clutch between such driver and the pump-driving shaft, a fluid-pressure device for actuating said clutch, means for evenly maintaining the pressure of the actuating fluid for said device, valve mechanism controlling the fluid for the pressure device, and a iioat within the carbonator and connected to the valve mechanism to operate the same, whereby the pump is started or stopped respectively by a drop or a rise in the liquid-level, substantially as set forth.

2. In carbonating apparatus, the combination of a carbonator, means for conveying gas into thesame,acontinuously-revolving driver, a pump for forcing the liquid to be carbonated into the carbonator, a clutch between said driver and the pump-driving shaft, a device exerting continuous pressure to force said clutch into one of its operative positions, a duid-pressure device actuating the clutch in the opposite position against the continuous pressure,valve mechanism controlling the admission and exhaust of the fluid into and out of the fluidpressure-actuating device, a pressure-regulating device for maintaining an even pressure of the actuating fluid for said devices, and a device actuated by the level of the liquid in the carbonator and connected to operate said valve mechanism, whereby the clutch is operated and the pump started or stopped by a drop or rise in the liquid-level in the carbonator, substantially as set forth.

3. In carbonating apparatus, the combination of a carbonator, means for conveying gas into the same, a pump for forcing the liquid to be carbonated into the carbonator and provided with a drive-shaft, a pulley loose upon said shaft and having means for continuously revolving it, a clutch secured to the shaft to slide upon the same and constructed to engage the pulley, a weighted lever engaging the clutch to force it into such engagement, a diaphragm structure having its plungerstem bearing against said lever to raise the same and disengage the clutch by fluid-pressure beneath its diaphragm, valve mechanism controlling admission and exhaust of the actuating fluid for said diaphragm, a pressureregulator for maintaining an even pressure of the actuating fluid for the diaphragm, and a float within the carbonator and connected to operate said valve mechanism to admit or exhaust the actuating pressure fluid by the rise or fall of the liquid-level within the carbonator, substantially as set forth.

4. In carbonating apparatus, the combination with a fluid-pressure power-shifting device having the operating fluid-pressureacting against a constant pressure, and a valve mechanism controlling the admission and eX- haust of the pressure fluid and operated by change in the liquid-level of the carbonator, of a fluid-pressure regulator on the supply for the actuating pressure fluid and maintaining an even pressure of the latter equal to overcome the opposed constant pressure, substantially as set forth.

5. In carbonating apparatus, the combination of a carbonator, means for conveying gas into the same, a pump for forcing the liquid to be carbonated into the carbonator, a contlnuously-revolving driver, a clutch between such driver and the pump-driving shaft, a fluid pressure device for actuating said clutch, a fluid-actuated main valve controlling the fluid for such pressure device, aprimary valve controlling the actuating fluid for the main valve, a fluid-pressure regulator on the supply for the actuating fluid and maintaining an even pressure of the same, and a float within the carbonator and connected to the primary valve to operate the same, whereby the pump is started or stopped respectively by a drop or a rise in the liquidlevel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing to be my invention I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of January, A. D. 1901.

JOSEPH H. CHAMP.-

Witnesses:

WM. SECHER, JN0. M. SGHIELY.

IIO 

